Get the policies right first: How to get India's women into the workforce
By Rohini Pande
March 17, 2017
Between 1990 and 2015, India’s real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita grew from US$375 to US$1,572, but its female labour force participation rate (LFPR) fell from 37 per cent to 28 per cent. This gives us a puzzle to solve: Why isn’t India following the same trajectory as most other countries at a similar level of growth, where female LFPR rises with GDP? Raising that rate is a high priority, not only because of the diverse benefits that increased economic autonomy brings women, but also because growth will likely be stronger when more working-age citizens of either gender are employed.